Slayers SIGN
by Gemini14
Summary: Slayers/hack/SIGN Crossover. Once again, I can't think of a good summary. Read and Review, anyhow. Please?


Slayers SIGN

Chapter One: Fireside Encounters and Mazoku Uprisings

It was the beginning of a cool autumn night when the swordsman awoke. With a grimace, he remembered what had happened to him earlier and what situation he was in now. His shoulder was caked in drying blood, and fresh blood flowed freely from his wounds, staining his dark tunic. When he looked up, he could see that he now lay at the bottom of a deep gully, and could also see the light of a campfire reflected on the trees.

"_Better try to get up there before I bleed to death._" The swordsman thought, as he struggled to his feet and checked the small cliff for hand and footholds. Painfully, he began to climb, knowing that his survival depended on whether or not he could get to the top. With a mighty effort, he pulled himself up, gritting his teeth in agony as he put more strain on his wounded shoulder. To his surprise, he could see his pack still lying in the road where he had left it, untouched.

"_Guess he didn't want my belongings after all._" The swordsman thought, as he stood and walked over to it, trying not to jar his injured arm while he kneeled down to check and see if everything was still there. When he was sure that everything was there (with the exception of his sword; that of which was deeply imbedded in a nearby tree), he looked at the light that was being cast off by the campfire.

"_Better see if I can get some help from someone. I won't last long on my own with wounds like this._" The swordsman mused, as he slowly made his way towards the source of the light, not knowing what he would find there.

Lina sighed in satisfaction as she finished off her fish dinner. Across from her, Gourry was doing the same.

"That was good! We should try fishing from that stream a little more often!" Lina said, as she patted her stomach and settled back.

"Those fish were good." Gourry said, sounding a bit distracted.

"What's up? Is something on that miniscule mind of yours?" Lina asked, noticing her companion's distraction.

"Just thinking…………." Gourry trailed off, his eyes distant.

"Don't overexert yourself." Lina muttered, sarcastically. Her comment went over the blond swordsman's head.

"So, what're you thinking about?" Lina asked, curious as to what Gourry had in mind.

"I wonder………….I wonder how the sword master is doing?" Gourry murmured, thoughtfully.

"Sword master?" Lina asked, confused.

"Yeah, the one who taught me. I wonder how he's doing?" Gourry mused, as he gazed into the fire, crystalline blue eyes looking just a tad concerned.

"I'm surprised you even remember him to be wondering how he's getting along! What made you think of him just now?" Lina asked. Gourry shrugged.

"I guess I should someday visit him to see how he's doing." Gourry said, as he reclined against a tree.

"That won't be necessary, Gourry." A man's voice said, calmly. Lina and Gourry were immediately on their feet, ready for a fight.

"Illumination!" Lina shouted, as she cast the light spell into the air, and brilliant light came from it. They were both shocked by what they saw; a warrior stood before them, dressed in dark blue with armor and a sword. His left arm dangled uselessly at his side, dripping blood onto the ground beside him. His shoulder was a mess of deep cuts; each of which looked to have been done with razor sharp daggers.

"L-sama……………." Lina muttered, for once stunned by what she saw. 

"Sword master……………….what happened?" Gourry asked, identifying the man that stood before them. 

"There's a mad killer on the loose…………………..and he's out for revenge." The Sword master said, as he fell to one knee, clutching his wounded shoulder.

"Lina, do you know any healing spells?" Gourry asked, as he rushed over to help his former teacher.

"Yeah, I do know some, but healing really isn't my specialty!" Lina replied, as she helped her partner get the wounded man closer to the fire. It was in the firelight that Lina noticed that something was different about the man; he had strange tattoos on his face, chest (what she could see of it) and arms.

"What's with the tattoos?" Lina asked, curious and baffled at the same time.

"Personal preference, mainly." The Sword master said, grimacing as Gourry carefully removed his blood-soaked shirt and looked at the wounds.

"I see……….." Lina muttered, then looked directly at Gourry.

"Gourry, get the buckets and get some water. I'm gonna need hot water in order to clean his wounds." Lina ordered. Gourry followed the orders without question.

"So, uh, what do you call yourself, other than the Sword master, I mean?" Lina asked, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious in front of Gourry's former teacher.

"Well, there isn't much else I go by except a nickname I sometimes use while traveling." The Sword master said, remaining alert, despite the pain he was obviously in.

"And what might that nickname be?" Lina asked, flinching when she heard Gourry fall into the stream with a splash.

"Bear." The Sword master said, simply.

"Bear? Why do you have a nickname like that?" Lina asked, with some skepticism in her voice.

"It stems back to some of the battles I had a hand in my youth. Some of my peers had said I fought like a bear on the battlefield, so it just stuck. Sort of like the legendary Lina Inverse got stuck with a nickname as awful as 'Dragon Spooker'." The Sword master said, with a rueful half shrug.

"You have no idea…………." Lina muttered, getting an arched eyebrow from the Sword master for her remark. It was at that moment Gourry returned with the water.

"We're gonna have to wait until the water heats up, Bear." Lina said, as she carefully set one bucket of water (this bucket was a metal one) over the fire to boil.

"That goes without saying. So, Gourry, what have you been doing with yourself?" Bear asked, conversationally.

"Not much. Just traveling around with Lina, that's all." Gourry said, casually.

"Lina? You don't mean Lina Inverse, do you?" Bear asked, with interest in his eyes.

"He does." Lina said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry to have insulted you, then, Sorceress Supreme." Bear said, almost teasingly.

"You said nothing wrong. Apparently you agree about the 'Dragon Spooker' nickname." Lina said, with a grin.

"Yes. It is a rather rude nickname." Bear said, wincing slightly when he moved his injured shoulder. Lina shrugged.

"I've been called worse. So, Bear, who attacked you? What was he after?" Lina asked.

"The one who had attacked me was after Gourry's sword; the Hikari no Ken. Apparently he had heard that I had trained Gourry and thought I would have some leads as to where to find it." Bear said, flinching as Lina touched one gash with damp cloth. Lina and Gourry exchanged a glance.

"Apparently this guy hadn't heard that the Hikari no Ken isn't even on this world anymore." Lina said, with raised eyebrows, as she stopped to sprinkle some powdered athelas into the hot water, then continued cleansing Bear's wounds. 

"Oh? What happened? Who took the sword?" Bear asked, curious, and sensing that there was a story to be heard.

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but, since we're not going anywhere for a while, I'll tell ya. Besides, Gourry probably won't even remember anything about it, since he doesn't even remember the fight against Shabranigdo." Lina said, nonchalantly.

"I'll admit, a strong memory was never one of Gourry's finer points, but, I would like to hear of the adventures that have made you so legendary." Bear said, sighing as the athelas started taking effect, numbing the pain enough for him to relax. Lina blushed, but then collected herself and started telling Bear of the adventures she and Gourry had been through, of their friends Zelgadis and Amelia, and of the fate of the Hikari no Ken.

"So, in your last adventure, you had a Mazoku and a Ryuzoku in your group as well? You must have had nerves of tempered steel!" Bear said, with a laugh.

"If only you knew! Filia destroyed more towns than I did!" Lina said, beginning to feel comfortable around the man. 

"_He's not bad. He must be a pretty damn good swordsman in order to have taught Gourry, and he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Actually, he's probably the first adult to treat me seriously, despite my age and stature, in a long time. I wonder just how much he's heard?_" Lina wondered, as she secured the last bandage in place, and carefully slid the injured arm into a makeshift sling.

"This should hold till we can get to Seiruun. Can you handle the pain till then?" Lina asked.

"I can handle it. I've dealt with worse wounds than these during my war days, so don't worry about me, Inverse-san." Bear replied, looking as tired as she knew he must have felt. 

"Okay. Just don't call me 'Inverse-san' anymore, okay? I get enough of the –san stuff from Amelia and Filia. Just call me Lina, all right?" Lina asked, getting a slight nod from the man.

"Done and done. Thanks for your help." Bear said, honestly.

"No problem. Get some rest, we've got a lot of ground to cover before we can get to Seiruun." Lina said, as she went back to her side of the fire, lay down, and went to sleep. It wasn't long before Bear was also asleep, even though his mind still questioned whether or not he really wanted to, especially when the one who had attacked him could still be around…………….

Zelas snarled quietly as she faced the newly named Dark Lord. She was tall, with strawberry blond hair and catlike silver eyes. 

"Morgana……….." Zelas stated, coldly. The other Mazoku female smirked.

"Zelas, long time, no see. I suppose you have heard about my……ahem……promotion?" Morgana asked, with a hint of a sneer in her voice. Zelas bristled, but didn't let the other Mazoku know that she had been riled.

"Yes. And I have also heard that you have yet to create your general and priest. What's keeping you?" Zelas asked, tersely. Morgana shrugged.

"Just keeping you in suspense, Zelas-chan. That's all." Morgana replied, with a stolen 'Trickster Priest' smile. 

"Don't wait too long, Morgana, otherwise, you won't be in your position for long." Zelas warned, with a hint of a threat in her voice.

"Don't worry, sister dear. I'll make them at my own pace. Ta." Morgana said, as she disappeared from view.

"Damn, I hate that bitch." Zelas growled, as Xellos strode in and bowed before her, but not before giving her a questioning look.

"Ne, Zelas-sama. You called?" Xellos asked.

"Yes. I want you to go and locate Lina Inverse. Remain with her until I call for you again." Zelas said, knowing that sending her general/priest to the mortal realm would be the safest thing for him; especially considering what kind of Mazoku Morgana was and what she was capable of.

"Hai, Zelas-sama." Xellos said, as he stood, turned, and walked back out of the throne room, teleporting before his feet even touched the floor of the hallway.

"_I have a bad feeling about this. Naming Morgana a Dark Lord was a mistake._" Zelas thought, as she looked down at her wineglass, too disturbed by her own dark memories to smoke.

Meanwhile, in Morgana's new realm, Morgana stood ready to begin the creation of her priest and general. Dark magic swirled around her as she chanted the incantation needed to make her new servants. She watched through her mind's eye as two beings began to form in front of her, then, as though having second thoughts, she combined the two forms into one, creating one servant. There was an explosion, and when the dust settled, what appeared to be a young man lay suspended in midair. He had short, messily cut silver hair, and wore tan and brown robes. His face, perfect in every way, was embellished with two red tattoos, one on either cheek. On his head, a hat embellished with emeralds stubbornly held on, despite gravity. Beside him, a ruby topped silver staff floated, waiting for use. Morgana smiled; pleased by the appearance of her general/priest.

"Arise, Tsukasa, and serve me." Morgana commanded. Immediately, the new Mazoku's eyes opened, revealing eyes that were the darkest shade of purple. Silently, he obeyed his mistress' command and stood, then kneeled, before her.

"What is your command, Morgana-sama?" Tsukasa asked, his voice soft and shy. 

"I want you to follow a woman known as Lina Inverse. Zelas seems to have a lot of interest in her, and I want to find out why. If a Mazoku named Xellos tries to stop you, destroy him. Do you understand what I want you to do?" Morgana asked. 

"I understand, Morgana-sama." Tsukasa said, before teleporting away, leaving his mistress looking very smug, and very pleased with herself.

"_Soon, Zelas, soon. Soon we'll see who has the best servant!_" Morgana thought, smirking when she thought of all the trouble her general/priest was going to cause. 


End file.
